ZOE2 really is a beautiful game. With its unique mixture of clean-cut robot models, cel-shaded smoke and manga FMV cut-scenes, the whole thing just oozes style in a way that most other games just can't approach. [Oct 2003, p.108]

It works well enough, but doesn’t really offer an advantage over the joystick controls of the arcade game and is significantly slower in practice than the flicks of the DS stylus. [Sept 2008, p.124]

You're doing very little other than eating things, and the game's other ideas don't gel well enough to make it an experience worth more than the sum of its parts. [Aug 2009, p.130]

There’s plenty of depth to the mechanics here for those that want to sink their teeth into a new fighting system, and there are some informed nods back to the franchise’s roots, but if you were intending to buy an Xbox One on the promise of playing this until you could afford another launch game, chances are you’ll get bored of it by the end of launch week.

There's a creeping sense that [the game] cares less about the player, and more the clinking in their coffers. [Issue#138, p.111]

If you go with the flow of how you’re supposed to play Republic Commando this can be good fun. It is, after all, a Star Wars game and, for this reason alone, a small proportion of gamers will enjoy it. But pleasing a small number of gamers hardly sounds like the policy of the kind of republic we’d like to live in. [March 2005, p.96]

The appeal lies in the customisation options and the complex online battle system. [Issue#141, p.120]

It takes a while for Explorers to really open up and reveal that shining crystal at its centre, but once it does, you can forgive the game its shortcomings and take it for what it is: a respectful homage to both Monster Hunter and Final Fantasy legacies.

What we’re getting at is there’s not much space for classic simulation sadism here. It’s all happiness and accumulation, which is fine and pleasant, but not gripping.

Conan is not a particularly good game, it is an average one made with love and personality. When so many games feel like little more than exercises in turning a profit, we reckon that counts for something. [Dec 2007, p.126]

You can comfortably sit back and settle into the sofa during your time with Opoona. [Aug 2008, p.102]

There's certainly nothing game-breakingly bad about Shift 2, and generally it is a polished, high quality, nice looking product. But it does fail to provide a more engaging alternative to the admittedly quite clinical driving experiences offered by the Forza Motorsport or Gran Turismo series. Underneath its fancy aesthetic effects Shift 2 is also rather on the dry side, with no especially compelling reason to pick it up if you already have one of the aforementioned console racing giants in your collection.

It's just a shame the combat side of Capsized is hampered by something the developers can do little about. [Issue#138, p.115]

An enjoyable, quality release that will absorb hours of your time, but there’s no escaping the feeling that Blue Byte appears to be running short of ideas. [Dec 2007, p.125]

There's certainly nothing game-breakingly bad about Shift 2, and generally it is a polished, high quality, nice looking product. But it does fail to provide a more engaging alternative to the admittedly quite clinical driving experiences offered by the Forza Motorsport or Gran Turismo series. Underneath its fancy aesthetic effects Shift 2 is also rather on the dry side, with no especially compelling reason to pick it up if you already have one of the aforementioned console racing giants in your collection.

Entertaining it most certainly is, but WayForward should really be pushing a little bit harder than this. [Issue#138, p.116]

An amusing, individual game that delivers an initial hit of fun but whose essential concept becomes stale. [Nov 2005, p.121]

Only frantic devotees of racing games/loading screens could justify this over the competition. [July 2009, p.115]

The underlying controls are fun and fluid, but the lack of variety leaves the game - and therefore its player - wanting. [Issue#162, p.106]

There are too many AI quirks and tic to make offline play a useful or even enjoyable tool for learning the ropes, so despite some promising advances, Unreal Championship 2 is just another game to file under the 'buy it if you have Xbox Live' sub-division of the FPS genre. [May 2005, p.86]

Competent and charming, if a little disappointing. [Issue#187, p.73]

For the money it's a very interesting take on the genre with a captivating style. [Issue#162, p.111]

While matching up well to its obvious inspiration, CT Special Forces still lacks the spark of imagination and intensity that made Metal Slug so special; nevertheless, it's a pretty good take on the landmark game and a blast to play. [Oct 2003, p.118]

It could have been something special, and there’s tremendous potential for a sequel, but for now, Steep feels like a game of two halves. It tries to do too much and fails to capitalise on what it does best, and as such, makes for a tricky game to recommend.

The one thing really missing from Overkill is a sense of impact to your shots – certain boss fights feel more like mouse-clicking something to death than riddling it with hot lead. [Mar 2009, p.100]

Not only does this look nigh-on identical to the PC version, it still feels as though the two analogue sticks used to control your operative are but a placeholder for the mouse/keyboard combo that shot Counter-Strike to fame. One for Live players only. [Jan 2004, p.112]

While the sequel doesn’t exactly surpass the original, it’s at least a fair crack at the boxing genre…Shame it’s still not as good as EA’s "Fight Night." [Nov 2004, p.119]

When you’ve wasted 15 minutes watching two pixel people chat each other up but never move to the bedroom to seal the deal; it’s these scenarios where getting caught by the cops or feds becomes a frustration instead of a punishment. It’s almost like some people don’t want to get murdered. Rude.